Brock Lesnar’s UFC Return Should Lead to Ronda Rousey in WWE

Does Brock Lesnar’s UFC return at UFC 200 mean that a Ronda Rousey appearance in WWE is more likely?

A huge bombshell was dropped yesterday that will affect the landscapes of both the WWE and the UFC. It was announced late last night that WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar will return to the UFC for a one-off fight at what is sure to be a historic UFC 200 event come July 9th in Las Vegas, Nevada. His opponent is yet to be announced.

Now it’s well known that Brock Lesnar is no ordinary WWE employee. He can pretty much do what he wants, when he wants to. As he should (In case you haven’t noticed, Brock Lesnar is a literal monster). However, the fact that WWE and UFC have allowed this cross-promotion to occur is incredibly surprising. Considering the two companies haven’t exactly gotten along in the past, what exactly does this momentary truce mean for future crossovers of talent?

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It’s no secret that WWE has long coveted the possibility of former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey taking a swing inside the squared circle. While the closest WWE has gotten to this was Rousey’s appearance alongside The Rock at WrestleMania 31, Lesnar’s upcoming appearance at UFC 200 has set a precedent that may finally allow “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey to make her in-ring debut.

First of all, it is important to note that Ronda Rousey herself is very interested in the idea. Ever since her appearance at WrestleMania, Rousey has been extremely vocal about her desire to step into a WWE ring. When the Women’s Revolution was just getting started earlier this past year, Rousey explicitly expressed her thoughts to Rolling Stone on the possibility of joining the fray:

"“I’m ready, I’ve seen NXT, I remember Nattie and Charlotte’s match for the title.  Nattie was actually training with the original Four Horsewomen to get ready for that fight. I have so many obligations, but I really want to find a way to make it happen. I’m a huge fan wrestling, and I would like to see the position of women in the sport continue to improve, so if I can be a part of it, great.”"

In the past, the only thing standing in the way of Rousey in the WWE has been the strict restrictions put into place upon her by UFC President Dana White. After WrestleMania 31 in an interview with The Fight Network, White was outspoken in stating that Rousey would not be making a return to the WWE anytime soon:

"“What she did on Wrestlemania was awesome. It was awesome, it came off great and I loved it. Uhm… she’s a one and done”"

While White’s stance seemed pretty set in stone, the recent Brock Lesnar news changes everything. While it’s highly likely that Lesnar has had this UFC return clause in his WWE contract for a while now, it’s hard to believe that WWE would allow their most valuable star to risk injury competing for another promotion without getting something in return. It’s complete speculation at this point, but I’m willing to bet that WWE at least mentioned Ronda Rousey when discussing Lesnar’s return with UFC. Perhaps something of an ultimatum was offered along the lines of “Sure, you guys can have Brock for a fight, but we get a Ronda Rousey appearance in return.”

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If the WWE Universe is in store for a Ronda Rousey debut it would likely be in the distant future. It was recently revealed that just earlier this month Rousey underwent knee surgery. While she is expected to be out for a decent amount of time, the UFC is confident that Rousey will be able to fight this year. When she returns, Dana White has made it clear that she will be receiving an immediate title shot for the Women’s Bantamweight Championship which she lost around seven months ago to Holly Holm. The current champ is Miesha Tate, who will be facing off against Amanda Nunez for the belt at the aforementioned UFC 200 event. Whether Rousey has another UFC title run left in her or not, one shouldn’t expect her to be appearing in WWE anytime soon.

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No matter what happened behind closed doors between WWE and UFC, Brock Lesnar’s return is certainly a good sign of big things to come between the two companies. WWE fans may have to wait a little longer than they would like for a Ronda Rousey appearance, but at this point, it is almost a sure thing that it will eventually happen.